A government watchdog has called for Justice Neil Gorsuch to recuse himself from an upcoming Supreme Court case due to his close ties to a billionaire oil baron, Philip Anschutz, who stands to benefit from the ruling.
The case, Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo, could have far-reaching implications, potentially removing the Chevron deference principle.
This principle allows federal agencies to issue regulatory rules without congressional approval. (Trending: Joe Biden’s Approval Crashes To New Low)
Gorsuch’s association with Anschutz, who has interests in energy and other industries, has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
“Not only would overturning Chevron deference strip power from federal agencies, harming their ability to serve everyday Americans – but now, we know billionaire oil baron Philip Anschutz would score big from a favourable ruling by his friend on the high court,” Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone said.
“It’s far past time for these justices to stop putting their billionaire pals over Americans. Recusal from cases where they have glaring conflicts of interest is the very least they can do to restore some semblance of credibility and integrity to our supreme court.”
“People and entities championing the end of Chevron deference are hoping it will presage the demise of the so-called ‘administrative state’, which they believe prevents certain interests from maximising profits through ‘overregulation,’” University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias said.
The Supreme Court’s ties to wealthy individuals and the lack of clear ethics enforcement have sparked criticism and led to calls for reform.
“This is just the latest in a long pattern of cozy relationships between supreme court justices and billionaires creating conflicts that undermine the legitimacy of the court,” Ciccone said.
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